Governor-elect Pat McCrory does not appear to be on the same page as legislative leaders when it comes to the state’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act, certainly not in tone anyway.

Governor Perdue declared Thursday that North Carolina will partner with the federal government to run the health care exchange under the health care law. States can set up their own exchanges, do nothing and let the federal government set them up, or pursue a hybrid partnership model, the path Perdue chose—after she consulted with McCrory.

McCrory’s statement was cautious and noncommittal, but certainly not hostile.

Gov. Perdue’s decision leaves flexibility for North Carolina in the future when it comes to the delivery of health care,” McCrory said in a statement. “I will be discussing this with more governors today, and will continue those discussions in the coming weeks to ensure the best results for North Carolina.

Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger took a different tact, criticizing Perdue for making the decision at all, saying she should have waited for the new legislature and new governor to decide, ignoring both a looming federal deadline and the fact that she consulted with the new governor before making her decision.

Berger’s political staff went a step further, sending out a fundraising appeal based on Perdue’s decision. It’s tone was pure Tea Party nasty.

Just days after voters delivered a crushing repudiation of Bev Perdue’s failed policies, the lame-duck governor is trying to shove Obamacare down our throats. Yes, the same Obamacare we rejected in the 2010 elections. And the same governor we rejected last week.

Her parting gift to the voters she ignored for four years – and whose impending re-election verdict forced her into an early retirement – is an eleventh hour embrace of a massive government healthcare takeover we don’t want and can’t afford.

Perhaps Berger’s staff didn’t notice that the country just reelected President Obama ten days ago, but you would think they would have checked with their newly elected Republican governor before recycling stale and offensive talking points from a two-year-old Americans for the Prosperous rally.

It sounds like all the Republicans are not on the same page and their reign of power in Raleigh hasn’t even started yet.

11 Comments

Charlie

November 16, 2012 at 8:54 am

It’s pretty amazing to me that Berger would say “… healthcare takeover we don’t want and can’t afford” after the republican led assault and takeover of mental health, developmental disability, and substance abuse services in NC. NC’s decision to “carve out” these services into a separate system (vs a single payor for all healthcare services) has been disastrous. These kinds of statements by Berger are hipocracy at its finest.

Frances Jenkins

November 16, 2012 at 1:26 pm

The unemployment rate will rise two to three points due to Afforable Care Act. Chris, get out of your tunnel and go talk to small businesses across North Carolina and see what they tell you. Letters are being sent to employees telling them to prepare for lay-offs.The margin of profit is so small for business several will close their doors. Do you think you could advocate for small businesses? There must be a better way. For some, paying the fine the first year will be the easy way out but it can not work for the second. I see the worst depression ever experienced is coming and thank you Obama and his followers.

Frances – just FYI, Obamacare puts no requirements whatsoever on any business with less than 50 FTE employees. That’s the definition of a real small business in my book. And I’m talking to plenty of small business owners who are ready to buy affordable coverage though the health exchange.

Louie

November 16, 2012 at 5:49 pm

Rather than making our already byzantine health-care system more complicated, we need to make it simpler. We need to move away from health insurance and put everybody in the same tax-supported system.

As in Medicare, we could still give everybody a reasonable choice of doctors and other providers under an acceptable and enforceable budget. If every other wealthy country can do it, so can we.

Since everyone would benefit equally, it would be far more popular than what we have now. In other words, simplify our health-care system by enacting “Improved Medicare for All.”

Louie

November 16, 2012 at 5:52 pm

On his show Tuesday night, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart slammed businessmen who laid off employees after President Barack Obama was re-elected, claiming that these “job creators” were merely using Obamacare to “wriggle out of the social contract.”

The late-night comedian told companies like Papa John’s to stop pretending the election had transformed them into “reluctant assholes,” noting that businesses had a long history of shafting their workers.

Stewart noted that if Obama had pushed for a single-payer health care system, companies would no longer have to pay for health care premiums.

Frances Jenkins

November 16, 2012 at 8:44 pm

Stewart is a real expert on small business.

JeffS

November 17, 2012 at 2:39 am

Sorry, but the takeover of the so-called healthcare system has already taken place.

It was perpetrated by the people and corporations that profit more from the sick than the well. That the argument has been reduced to whether we’re going to have insurance or whether we’re going to have insurance is sad and pathetic.

jlp75

November 19, 2012 at 8:06 am

Frances,

Jon Stewart is a self made millionaire. What have you done that rivals his achievement? Who do you think is more effective in shaping public opinion? You the message board troll or a television personality with millions of viewers? I would say he knows quite a bit more about business and creating jobs than yourself. Lest you forget, entertainment is also a business. It is refreshing to have a millionaire that is not greedy and self absorbed and is willing to advocate for the lesser among us. It is proof that it is possible to be successful and then use the fruits of that success to advocate for others. Funny how you Tea Party types worship the rich unless they unselfishly promote progressive policies.

Frank Burns

November 19, 2012 at 11:24 am

JLP,
Is a self made millionaire’s opinion more important than non millionaires? Being a millionaire does not equate to having wisdom. Mother Theresa was poor as dirt but she had more wisdom in her pinky finger than Jon Stewart. If we get to the point where our opinions are influenced by commedians then we are in trouble. Pee Wee Herman is a comedian as well.

jlp75

November 19, 2012 at 9:03 pm

Frank,

Perhaps if you enjoyed some comedy from time to time you wouldn’t see the sky falling all around you. The irony of it all is that your dire prognostications generate comedy for the rest of us.

I never said that his opinions were more important than anyone else’s. I said that he must know something about business as he found a way to be successful in business. The thesis that I was debating was that, “Stewart is a real expert on small business,” which was conveyed in a sarcastic manner. Considering he started out as a stand up comic (small business) and achieved overwhelming success I would reject the premise that he knows nothing of business. Just because you and Frances do not have a sense of humor does not make comedy any less of a business. As a result of his success he has a louder microphone to express his opinions than you and Frances who apparently can only manage to troll message boards. So while his opinion is no more important than yours it is definitely more widely heard for better or worse.

[…] try to block exchange Post on November 20, 2012 by Adam Searing No Comments There is talk from some NC politicians about how having a health exchange would be so terrible for NC and no talk about the […]